Departure for the Humans of the Alps project

Emir Senyer

In March 2018, Renaud Langel, Algorigin co-founder and seasoned sportsman, set off to join Arnaud Cottet and Niko Sanz in the Dolomites, on their new "Humans of the Alps" project. A look back at an extraordinary journey.

Text & Photos: Renaud Langel

When Arnaud called me to tell me about his new "Humans of the Alps" project, I said to myself that I wanted to be part of it. The problem for me, and for most of you, is that taking off (at the last minute) for a month's trek across the Alps, from the Dolomites to Montreux, is still a dream when you have a young child and lots of professional projects on the go. Well, I'm joining them for a few days to begin this superb journey, and Algorigin is doing all it can to support the project.

My program is simple: two days skiing in the region and then three days to reach Bolzano, some 40 kilometers away.
Theirs is a little more complex: from Bolzano, they have to reach Austria and cross part of the Austrian Alps to reach Graubünden and then on to Montreux in Switzerland, several hundred kilometers further on.

I'm lucky enough to take part in the final preparations for the project as if I were carrying it out in its entirety: those rather magical moments when we discuss itineraries, plan the first stages, check the weather and snow conditions, review the equipment to make sure we haven't forgotten anything. Simple moments, but very rich in human terms.

Departure from San Pellegrino, Dolomites

But what is the "Human of the Alps" project anyway?

The aim of the project, as described by Arnaud Cottet and Niko Sanz in a few words: "To cross the Alps on skis from San Martino in the Dolomites to Montreux, immortalizing the journey with our camera and pen, through the prism of our encounters.

You'll soon be able to read all about the trip on the Algorigin website, a committed Swiss brand.